Audi, GM, Google, Honda, Hyundai and NVIDIA have joined together to form the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA), a global alliance of technology and auto industry leaders committed to bringing the Android platform to cars starting in 2014. The OAA is dedicated to a common platform that will drive innovation, and make technology in the car safer and more intuitive for everyone.

A Linux Foundation executive revealed that the 2014 Toyota Lexus IS is the second major automobile to offer an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system based on Linux. Meanwhile, ABI Research projects that Linux will quickly grow to represent 20 percent of automotive computers by 2018, pulling closer to Microsoft behind industry-leading QNX.

Since the GENIVI Foundation was launched in 2009 to foster standardization on automotive computers built on open source Linux, the move toward Linux-based IVI and connected automotive telematics systems has been halting. Now, however, a second car manufacturer — Toyota — is introducing a Linux IVI system, according to the Linux Foundation.

Today, the Linux Foundation announced that it was throwing its hat into the car-apps ring, with the creation of the Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup. Early sign-ups among car companies include Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and Toyota. Tech companies include Harman, Intel, NEC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Texas Instruments, along with Tizen, the Linux-based platform backed by Samsung and Intel.

So Google's group the OAA are not the only group active in using open source software in cars.

Open source software and collaboration amongst a group of companies is a perfect economic fit when the product uses software as a component, but the product is NOT the software itself.